


The Elusive Bear

by MWolfe13



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Gemino, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23256247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MWolfe13/pseuds/MWolfe13
Summary: She'd warned him not to touch the toys.
Relationships: Astoria Greengrass/Mycroft Holmes
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12
Collections: Quest for the Ring to Rule Them All





	The Elusive Bear

**Author's Note:**

> Round 2 of Quest for the One Ring to Rule them all on Draco's Den
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Sherlock.

Astoria took the extended hand offered to her in gratitude, her husband gently helping her from the car parked outside her parent’s estate. She was eight months pregnant, and she could no longer do much without help. It frustrated her to no end, but Mycroft had been exceedingly patient throughout the whole ordeal. He dealt with worse than her temper on a daily basis, she supposed, even if those flares came from magic she could no longer control.

It was why they were traveling by car. Astoria absolutely hated the form of Muggle transportation, but she could not floo in this late stage of her pregnancy and apparition was definitely out. Truly, most Witches were confined to their homes by this time and her mother had made noises at her even leaving the house. Yet, they were not due back from their visit to their relatives in France until just after the baby was born and Astoria needed what she’d come for before then. 

“Tell me,” Mycroft started as they passed through the gate that swung open at her magical signature. “Why couldn’t we have sent your sister? Your mother doesn’t advise you traveling at your stage, my dear.”

Astoria grumbled under breath, they’d been over this at least five times already. She knew her husband hadn’t forgotten, the man never forgot anything. He was hoping she’d acquiesce to his concerns and return home. He should have known that wouldn’t be the case. He hadn’t married some wilting wallflower capable of only take direction from her husband. “Yes, Mycroft. I’ve already told you. I was fond of putting curses on my toys as a child, and only I could undo them. They were especially targeted at Daphne. She’d never get what I need unscathed.”

Mycroft frowned. “Are you absolutely sure you need this bear? This sounds dangerous.”

She resisted growling at him, but the urge was there. They made it to the side entryway of her family mansion. She gave him a saccharine smile, teeth bared as if in challenge. “Yes, I’m sure. That bear has been in the family for three generations now, imbued with protection charms and emotionally related spells good for babies. Our daughter will be the next to use it, and she needs to bond with it within a few hours of her birth for the magic to take.” She lifted a brow. “Now, shall we? Or do you intend to keep your wife on her feet all afternoon?”

Mycroft sighed visibly, looking to the sky in sufferance. “Of course not. Come, you can have a nice cup of tea while we search for the stuffed animal.”

The elves were happy to have her home, even if only for a few hours. They hovered around her until she was set up in her childhood room, tea and biscuits set on a floating tray next to the rocking chair her mother used for her. She had fond memories of this chair. She didn’t think her mother would object if she borrowed it for the baby. 

“All the boxes are in the closet,” she told him. “There’s quite a few, and some of the toys may not be safe to touch. Set them down by me and I’ll sort through them.”

“No excessive magic,” Mycroft reminded her.

She frowned. “I have to do some to find it and dispel it. We can’t take home a cursed bear.”

He shook his head but said nothing more, and opened up the bedroom closet. He stared, the number of boxes piled in neat stacks and rows impossibly many. “Astoria… How many boxes do we need to sort through?”

She nibbled on a cookie in contemplation, running a hand over her belly absently when the baby gave a little kick. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I don’t think there are more than two hundred boxes in there, but I could be wrong.”

Mycroft sighed, throwing her a disbelieving look. “Two hundred?”

Astoria shrugged. “Magic, my love.”

“I’ve been deceived,” he mumbled, grabbing the first box and setting it in front of her. “By my own wife, no less. A simple trip, she said.”

Astoria smiled to herself but left him to his complaints while she sorted through her old toys. Each one brought back a memory; playdates with other children, fights with Daphne, the rare playtime with her father. She’d been looking back on her childhood a lot these days as her entrance to motherhood grew closer. There were aspects of how she was raised that she refused to put into practice with her own children, others she would love to pass on.

It would be interesting, raising a child-possibly more-with a Muggle. Mycroft was not the average Muggle, a point in his favor, even if he made her want to hex him on a daily basis. She’d never imagined falling in love with the often serious man, but he’d stolen her heart from their first meeting. His family, especially the younger brother, was an adjustment, but she’d take on a thousand Sherlock’s for Mycroft. 

She was brought out of her musings when a box dropped to the floor. The contents spilled from the inside, the box on its side. Mycroft wore an annoyed expression on his face, shaking his head and muttering as he bent down to clean up the mess.

Astoria saw the bear as soon as he reached for it. “Honey, wait-”

There was an explosion as multiple bears appeared out of nowhere. Mycroft jumped back in shock, dropping the stuffed animal in question. The bears kept coming every time one landed on another, her husband swiftly buried under a mountain of fabric and cotton. “Astoria!”

She winced at his thunderous tone. She’d told him not to touch any of the toys, hadn’t she? It wasn’t her fault he didn’t listen. Still, it wouldn’t do for her daughter to be fatherless and her a widow. At the rate the bears were multiplying, Astoria was afraid he’d suffocate. 

Concentrating her magic, she summoned the original bear from the growing pile, the toy landing safely in her lap. It didn’t duplicate itself, knowing the feel of her magic. She smiled, rubbing the slightly torn ear before performing a countercurse that would stop the child-modified Gemino curse. The mountain stopped growing, Mycroft hidden under the pile. Astoria was drained from the magic use, her body sagging against the back of the chair. “Mycroft?”

“I’m here.” His voice was muffled, and the mound started shifting as he fought his way out. Identical replicas of her favorite toy lay scattered around the room once he’d gotten himself free. He went about straightening his clothes, warily eyeing the object in her lap. “Is that it? Is that the elusive bear we so desperately need for our daughter?”

She smiled tiredly at him, sighing inwardly when the baby decided to kick her side hard. “Yes, the ever-elusive bear. I suppose we should make our way back home. The elves can clean up here.”

Mycroft knelt in front of her, one hand on her stomach while the other rose to cradle her cheek. “It was too much magic, wasn’t it? How about we take a nap before we call the driver back? I’ll calm the little bean enough for you to sleep.”

Astoria was already closing her eyes, snuggling further into her husband’s arms when he picked her up from the chair. “Sounds like a plan, my love.”


End file.
